Kagome, Kagome
by JokerGurl
Summary: Rumors had been passed down for generations about the number three and the power it held. The start of 'L' actually began with three young detectives. Fate tore them all apart and in the end, it's the power of another god, Kira, that brings them all together again. Alone, L was doomed to fall but with the help of his original successors, the story just might change. Fem!A
1. The Beginning

**_(Chapter Revised : July, 2017 - Two years later!)_**

So I read somewhere that if you find yourself in a a writer's slump, then all you have to do is write something completely different and your muse will come back to you with new ideas. It's like taking a vacation! So let's see. A list of things to avoid : _Supernatural creatures._ Well, there isn't any at first! _A heroine figure_. Well she's just a little girl right now. _A battle against good and evil_. I failed. _Insane characters who I sympathize with_. Let's not talk about this one. _Death, blood and situations that can be emotion_. Hahaha, there was no avoiding this. Final conclusion :

Close enough!

In all seriousness, this story is actually a gift for my beautiful, wonderful beta. Without her, I wouldn't be here today, writing for all of you. Death Note is her fandom (just like Kuroshitsuji is mine) and one afternoon, she talked to me about how she would have changed things. After a long talk, I decided I would write her a story. This is her birthday gift from me!

 _ **~ .~Disclaimer ~.~**_

Just because I switched fandoms for a bit, does not mean I gain ownership over them. Death Note and all the characters in it, belong to their rightful owner who is _not_ me. I just write for fun and any characters, dialogue or places you recognize do not belong to me. The Kagome, Kagome song is not mine either though it was a big inspiration for this story and was therefore given an honorary place as the title of this story.

* * *

 _ **Birthdays**_

 _(More will be added as it becomes needed)_

 _ **L** _ \- October 31st, 1979

 ** _Beyond Birthday (BB)_** \- September 13th, 1980

 _ **A**_ \- July 6th, 1982

* * *

 _ **Kagome, Kagome**_

 _When, oh when will it come out_  
 _In the night of dawn_  
 _The crane and turtle slipped_  
 _ **Who is behind you now?**_

* * *

 _October 27th, 2003_

It was a title they all strived for. He was like an entity, a trail of mist that everyone struggled to grasp onto. In reality he was an unknown person, known only for the symbol he had adopted. All they ever saw of him was a single letter and they only heard a robotic voice that never addressed one child, but the group as a whole.

No one was singled out. No one was given special attention. He didn't want to give hope to a single child. After all, if the spirit of competition was gone, then nobody in that orphanage would strive for his title.

He had no name. Like many who had come after him, he was given an alias instead. The alias soon became his identity, and his real name was forgotten by all but a select few. He was the one everyone wanted to meet, and the one who all the kids dreamed of becoming.

 _The one person they all dream of beating._

He was known to world simply, as L. He was the world's best detective. He had taken on unsolvable cases, and solved them with the ease of a child's puzzle. He had seen things that would haunt normal people. He consumed only sweets, and rarely slept at all. He was the type of character that most would avoid when seen, and he knew this.

Those were the characteristics that made L.

Currently, he was crouched in front of a glowing computer screen, his wide eyes staring unblinkingly at the electrical device in front of him. Behind the glass wall of the computer screen, a single news article was pulled up. Its contents were shocking, even to the world's greatest detective, but L was careful to not display any emotion.

Behind him, a door opened and shut quietly. Watari padded in, armed with a large silver tray filled with different slices of cake. Even as the sugary, sweet scent of the pastries filled the room, L still didn't look up from the computer screen. The only movement from the great detective was him moving his hand so he could chew on the tip of his thumb.

Watari didn't think much of it. There was times in the past when L was so consumed in a case that didn't notice Watari coming in at first. Once the sweets were placed in front of him though, L would always grab one, and that action let the elderly caretaker know the young man was okay.

So Watari strolled forward to place the tray down by L's side, easily within his reach. Still, L did not move. He did not reach for any of the sweets, or even glance at the brimming tray. His shadowed eyes stayed focused on the screen, and the nibbling on his thumb increased in speed.

Now this was worrying.

"Ryuzaki?" Watari quietly questioned.

"He finally did it," L mumbled out. "There was always a twelve percent chance he would attempt it."

Watari didn't bother asking the young detective for clarification. L rarely explained things if you couldn't figure it out yourself. He viewed it as a waste of time and energy. Instead, Watari turned his attention to what held L's attention captivated. The large black words immediately grabbed the older gentleman's attention.

 _ **'Convicted Murderer Escapes During Prison Riot.'**_

Watari felt a chill run down his spine as his suspicions rose. His eyes quickly scanned the rest of the article, seeking more information. The prison name was faintly familiar but nothing about the situation sent a bolt of understanding through Watari. It wasn't until his eyes caught a certain paragraph, that understanding started to sink in.

 _'The escaped convict is rumored to be part of the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. He is believed to be mentally unstable and very dangerous. We can provide no images at the moment but our sources are searching for one in an effort to keep our readers safe and aware. More on this situation as it unfolds.'_

"What do you want to do now?" Watari questioned the famous detective.

There was no answer. L seemed to be ignoring Watari and the world around him. He didn't even flinch when his teeth finally broke open the skin of his thumb and blood started to trail down. Concerned for his charge, Watari laid his wrinkled hand on L's shoulders, which finally caught his attention.

Tired, shadowed eyes moved to look up at Watari. Even though L kept his face expressionless, his dark eyes spoke of so many emotions. They swirled inside his irises, like an untamed tide pool. So many broken emotions dwelled inside him, but L was never the best at expressing such emotions.

He was never social as a child. Skills that most children learned, like expressing themselves, and learning how to interact with others, was never taught to L. He preferred to be alone or with the other two small children that were never far from his shadow. L was often left alone, and now as an adult, he no longer had the need to interact with others unless it was absolutely necessary.

L chose to be alone.

It wasn't always that way though. At one point, far into the past, there were two others. One entity, used to be made of three components.

 _November, 1989_

The start of Whammy's Orphanage was as unknown, and as mysterious as the children who dwelled inside it. Stories and rumors were started about its origins, but there was no solid evidence behind the orphanage's start. Children of all ages, and races, could be found inside. Appearances, talents, and thoughts, were as wild as the rumors that circled Whammy's Orphanage, but no judgement was never passed onto the young souls that dwelled inside the manor.

All of them possessed a talent of some kind. Some were artistically inclined, or educationally blessed. There were even a few with darker talents, like naturally being able to pick a lock, or perform theft with ease. Nobody judged them for what they could do, or the homes they previously came from. As long as they kept their educational grades high, and followed the rules that were put down, they were free to do as they pleased.

Most of them knew why they were there. They were gifted, and because of that, they were given a new home, where their talent could be cultivated, and even encouraged. Children were always competitive beings, always striving to be number one in what they were doing. At Whammy's, this desire was carefully grown. All the children dreamed of becoming the greatest.

In Whammy's Orphanage, they all wanted to be ' _Legendary_.'

They wanted the title of ' _L_ '.

To them, L was a person to worship. He was untouchable, with the highest IQ, and nobody, _nobody_ , knew who he was or where he came from. He was untouchable. He was the one they all wanted to beat, and humanize. They wanted to prove that they could be just as good as L.

Every month, for the durations of the month, tests were given out. Everything about the children was tested during this time. Their intelligence. Their talents. Their speed and adaptation. Nothing was left to chance, and at the end of the month, a final test was given out. The day after, a single paper was printed out and posted in one of the busiest common rooms.

The final test ranked all the children, and that single sheet of parchment displayed their rankings. The rankings would always changed depending on the subject of the month, and the new arrivals into the orphanage. It displayed to everyone, who was leading, who was a potential challenger, and where some children could improve. It revealed weaknesses and strengths, forcing the children to adapt to beat their competition.

One young boy was always given a personal copy of the test results.

To the others, he was an unseen entity that they all craved to be. To his caretaker and father-figure, he was a boy blessed with incredible intelligence, and a large sweet tooth. To himself, he was just an odd child who was often misunderstood, and after several years, he had learned to not let it bother him.

This boy was L.

Yet, despite being granted all of his desires, because of who he was, L always felt like there was something missing. His social skills were . . . lacking, and even though he was a genius, he was also still a boy. Sometimes, Watari found L standing by his bedroom window, looking through the glass to watch the other orphans playing in the large backyard. His dark grey eyes would fill with longing, but every time Watari tried to encourage him to go play, L brushed his suggestion off.

The isolation that fueled some of the more interesting rumors about L were not forced upon him. In fact, Watari often tried to introduce L to the other kids, or get him to join them in their activities. It was L who politely refused. The young boy did not see the merit in social gatherings, or simple games. He preferred to play with his chess set, or read books in his own library.

So it was surprising when L decided to change his reclusive nature. Watari had just given him a slim, slice of cake, and that month's final rest results. L was nibbling on his fork as his dark colored eyes scanned the page, as was his habit by now. Watari busied himself with tidying up the many, many piles of books that surrounded the small boy when L's quiet voice spoke up.

"His test results have not changed since his arrival."

Watari turned just in time to see L tapping his fork against the paper. Specks of sugary frosting splayed across the results, but L's eyes were glued to the top rankings. Watari, still holding a few books, took a step closer to L.

The older gentleman already knew who L was speaking about, it was his job to keep track of the children, but a tiny part of him hoped that L had not taken interest in who he knew lurked at the top of that paper. His suspicions were confirmed though when he saw the bold black letters that the fork was still tapping.

 **1.)** B - 238 Rest Results

 **2.)** X - 197 Test Results

 **3.)** Z - 196 Test Results

"I would like to meet him."

Watari's first thought was to try and persuade L otherwise. Watari did want L to meet other children but B, more commonly known as BB, was truly an odd individual. The young orphan made Watari uncomfortable, and Watari had seen and done a lot of strange things in his lifetime. His gut told him that it was a bad idea to follow but when L turned large, begging grey eyes to him, Watari found himself unable to say no.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _December, 1989_

It was a cold, December day when Watari finally arrange the fateful meeting. It was freezing outside, with the wind shaking the leafless branches of the nearby trees, and grey clouds were steadily building on the horizon. The weather indicated that it would snow soon.

That was why L was in his library that day. In front of him was a large case file that had already been solved. Watari had taken the final conclusion, and conviction, out of the papers, and was letting L work on reaching the conclusion himself. So far, L had already figured out the murderer, his driving reasons behind his actions, and why his victims were chosen. All he had to do now, was figure out where the murderer was hiding and which poison he used to kill his victims.

It was just an exercise to keep his brain sharp. L had already solved his first criminal case, almost two years ago, at the young age of eight. L just preferred to solve older cases since they seemed to catch his attention more. Nothing was more horrible than trying to keep himself interested in a case that didn't hold his attention.

On L's right side was a chess game. The board was made from oak wood, but the pieces were delicate, spun glass. The board and pieces originally came from two different sets, but L didn't care for their odd appearances, only the actions they could perform. As both previous sets were incomplete before, L had managed to make a whole set by melding the random, mismatched pieces together. In front of the boy, was a roaring fire, just out of reach of the flammable case files. Its warm light bathed L, and chased away the frigid, winter air from the room. Nobody was as comfortable, or at ease as L was at that moment, so, of course, the door behind him gave an ominous creak as it was pushed open.

"L," Watari voiced his appearance and L could hear two different pairs of feet entering. One was heavy, with the left leg dragging behind its partner. Watari's leg must be tense from the cold air again. Slightly behind him, the other pair of feet was light and fast-paced, struggling to keep up with Watari's longer strides. L knew this pair belonged to a younger person, possibly a child but less likely an adolescent. "I've brought somebody to meet you."

L didn't want to move. He was warm, comfortable, and everything he needed was within his reach. If he moved, he risked upsetting the balance he had created, but L also knew that Watari would be disappointed in his lack of manners if he didn't greet his guest.

So L chose to lean back, supporting his weight on his elbows, while his head fell back so he could clearly see Watari, and his guest. It was an odd position, but it served both of his purposes, by letting him see who was behind him, without moving from his comfortable spot.

Watari towered over him, wearing his typical black tuxedo. His tie today was a light blue that helped to bring out the color in his wrinkled eyes. He would be impeccable, if not for the specks of paint near his shirt cuffs. The other children must have gotten into the paints without permission again.

Standing by his side, without a sign of hesitation or timidness, was a boy slightly younger than L himself. He was wearing baggy black jeans and a dark blue shirt that was also covered in paint. His feet were bare and streaked with dirt, which he was currently rubbing over L's clean carpet.

The boy's head tilted to the side as he assessed L too. A black, spiky mane of hair framed his face, and his hair covered the entire left side of his face. A single, burgundy-brown eye watched L carefully, scanning him with the same gaze that L was assessing him with.

"I would like you to meet B," Watari nudged the other boy forward a step. "His original alias is BB."

L watched as BB's eyes finally fixated themselves on an area just above his head. "You have such an odd name."

"It's just as odd as BB," L calmly pointed out.

"True, but BB is my chosen name, and B is the alias that the test ranks me with." BB's voice dropped to a near whisper, making it impossible for L to be sure what he said next but it sounded suspiciously like, " _It's not my real name._ "

L found himself curious about this individual. BB was not like the other children he had observed from the window. He wasn't shy when faced with a new, mysterious person. He wasn't loud with excitement, or fidgeting with nervousness. No, he was quiet, with eyes that were intently looking at something above L's upside down head.

L reached an uncertain hand up and tapped the top of his head. He didn't feel any hairs sticking up, and it didn't feel like there was frosting or sugar on any of the strands. Perhaps it was the fact that L was in an odd position that drew BB's unyielding attention to him.

"You know," BB walked forward until he was just a few inches from L's face. BB's brown eyes finally moved to look into L's own grey eyes. "I always imagined you older. Much older."

"I find that mental maturity matters more than physical age," L found himself arguing back.

"Maybe." BB shrugged a single shoulder and moved himself so he could take a seat on the other side of L's chess board.

L picked up his head to glare at BB. Having not been round children very often, L was not too good at sharing, as he had never learned. He especially didn't like the idea of this strange child, who he just met, messing with his chess set and ruining his current game.

Before L could protest, BB reached forward and picked up a black rook. He moved it forward a few paces and took the white side's bishop. L's eyes widened at the action, and he immediately reached forward to grab a pawn and move it to take his opponent's knight.

Retaliation was made. No words were spoken but somehow, the two boys ended up in an intense chess match. Pieces were taken and strategies were made as they both learned about each other through their game

Watari watched the two with a small smile. He had hoped that they would connect, even with their obvious differences. It was not a typical friendship in any ways, but BB had as much in common with L, as he did in differences.

He was intelligent, his test scores made that obvious, but it didn't look like there was anyone in the orphanage that could yet challenge him for the first place on the test. Like L, BB tried to avoid the other children, choosing to lurk in the shadows with a book or play harmless pranks on the other children.

The sudden silence pulled Watari out of his thoughts and his blue eyes flickered to the two boys seated on the floor in front of him. The board that full of pieces just a few minutes ago was now nearly empty, with only the two kings left standing. L had somehow shifted in his preferred crouched position, with his knees tucked in close to his chest, as he gently chewed on his thumbnail. BB was sitting fully on the floor with his legs stretched out as far as they could go. Like L, his brown eyes were on the chess board, and a small frown had formed between his brows.

"It's a draw," BB muttered to himself.

L didn't respond to the quiet words. L had never lost before. Even Watari, who had taught L how to play the game, was never victorious over him, and even when L was playing against himself, there was never a draw. One side always won over the other.

"Unless . . ." BB mused out loud, "I do this."

BB grabbed his king and moved it across the whole board. There was a clink as glass clashed against glass, and BB's king was suddenly standing in the place of the white king. The white king was now on its side, rolling quietly across the board in surrender.

L frowned at BB's actions, and his teeth moved to nibble harder on his thumb's broad fingernail. "That is cheating."

BB shrugged a shoulder, unbothered by the actions he had just performed. "It's stupid if you think the world is going to play fair. Everybody cheats and everybody lies at least once in their lives. The true trick is learning to adjust your strategies so you are prepared even if your opponent cheats."

There was a few moments of silence as L mulled over BB's words before pointing out, "You have a weird way of thinking."

"My mother liked to call me unique," BB instantly replied back.

"Unique is just a polite way of saying weird."

"I know."

Watari knew than it was truly going to be an adventurous friendship between the two.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _January, 1990_

Steadily, the two boys grew very close. BB, instead of choosing to be alone, would now chose to spend his days in L's private wing, and spend time with the strange prodigy. BB never waited for invitation, and L never gave one. He would just stroll through the doors like he belonged there, but BB came to the conclusion that he must be welcomed, because L never sent him away.

Within a few weeks, their friendship had grown stronger. Where L could be found, BB was either by his side, or not far from his shadow. When BB experienced an issue, it was L he would rant, or rave, to. L would listen emotionlessly, and then offer logical advice to solve BB's dilemmas. L's quiet responses usually upset the boy more, but despite the odds, the two continued to meet each other.

It was a chilly, late January day when L discovered even more about the mysterious BB. The two boys were sitting in L's private library, with a roaring fire blazing, and a case file spread out in front of them. The two young proteges were going through the case, comparing thoughts, evidence, and theories about the case that had gone cold several years ago.

"Why didn't the police start an investigation when his daughter first showed signs of abuse?" B reached forward to tap a grainy picture of small, chubby cheek blonde girl that was displaying her gap-tooth smile to the camera.

"Children get bruises all the time," L explained calmly. "There was no evidence of abuse until later."

"But her teachers and neighbors _suspected_ that the father was abusing her."

"There was no proof," L stressed out. He even grabbed a few papers that displayed there there was no evidence of abuse until a few months later, upon which local police started investigating immediately. "There was nothing local enforcement could do until there was evidence to investigate the father."

"That is idiotic," BB slammed his hands down in agitation. "Is someone, anyone, had started to investigate earlier, this girl's life could have been saved."

"There may be correct but you have to follow the law. That's why we are learning the things we are."

"And because of that, one innocent life was sacrificed."

"Not everyone can be saved. We all die sooner or later." L knew this a fact that none of them could escaped. No one was immortal, as sooner or later, they all succumbed to death. There was a war outside their doors. Justice against crime, and in all wars, sacrifices had to be made. Not everyone could be saved.

"Is anyone knows that, it's me," BB grumbled to himself.

There was a stretch of silence as both boys focused their attention on the papers in front of them. L noticed quickly that BB's focus kept shifting from the photo of the little girl, alive and well, and the photo of the crime scene, which displayed the young girl sprawled out in her own blood. His brown eyes nearly glowed red in the firelight as his thumb reached forward to stroke a spot above the daughter's blood matted hair.

"L," BB suddenly whispered to the other boy. "What do you think happens after we die?"

"Nothing," was L's quick response. "There is no logical evidence that there is anything after death. I believe it's similar to a candle flame going out. One moment it is there, and then, there is nothing."

"That's a depressing thought." BB's monotone voice didn't make it sound like he was sad or upset at the thought. There no trace of emotions, either in BB's voice or displayed on his face. "What about Gods? Reapers? Angels and devils?"

"There is no evidence of those either."

There was another stretch of silence. This was not unusual for either boy, as they both enjoyed the silence. L's mind was filled with the details of the case. It was about a man who suffered from a mental illness. Evidence revealed that he had been abusing his daughter for months, and for no reason the local enforcements could logically find, he decided to kill his daughter one night. Along with the girl, another mother and young boy, who had been visiting their home that day, and three other civilians found on the street, were killed before he managed to vanish. There had been months of investigating but the killer was never found. Nobody had any idea of how he managed to disappear, or where he could have gone. The case had gone cold three years ago, but Watari insisted on using cold cases as a way to practice and exercise the boy's minds and detective skills.

The door creaked open and the scent of warm chocolate filled the air. Watari strolled in, carrying a silver tray that held two cups of hot chocolate, and some wrapped Christmas themed candy. Immediately both boy's eyes locked on him, prepared for the treats they knew he would give them.

BB gracefully accepted the cup that Watari gave him, and he even managed to snatch a raspberry flavored hard candy from the tray before L got a hold of it. L had a deep love for candy, even more so than a normal child. If BB was too slow, than L would take all the candy before he had a chance to get some.

This had already happened several times in the past.

After taking several small sips, BB placed his cup down and leaned forward to take a better look at the murderer. One of L's running theories was that the man had somehow managed to change his name to slip under police's surveillance. Except, so far, there was no proof of this action and after so many years, it was mostly likely that the man was dead, free from the punishment of his crimes.

"He didn't change his name," BB firmly concluded. "He changed his name _back_ , and he's still alive . . . somewhere."

"How do you know this?" L demanded, his own cup of hot chocolate still resting against his lips. Even Watari paused to look curiously at BB.

"Tick, tock. Tick, tock," was BB's only answer as he tapped the photo of the murderer in tine to his words.

"That doesn't make any sense," L frowned down at the photo. What was BB seeing that he had somehow missed?

BB calmly took another sup of his chocolate before setting the cup aside and popping the hard candy in his mouth. "Sometimes, I wish you could see the world through my eyes."

L felt a shiver go down his spine as BB lifted his head to gaze at L. One eye was still covered by BB's messy hair, but the single eye that could be seen, appeared to be glowing red once more.

L decided that they wouldn't rest in front of the fireplace again. The tricks the light played on BB's normally burgundy eyes was just creepy. He didn't like the crimson color they became, especially when paired with a wide grin, that told L that BB knew something he didn't.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _April, 1990_

It was an early spring day, no different from any other. The trees were starting to come into bloom once more, and the warm weather summoned the shyest of creatures into the open. That was why L and BB were currently lounging under a tree of the orphanage's lands.

Watari had insisted that it would be a good idea for them to get out and spend some time under the blue skies. BB had not been particularly excited about this thought, but he had followed L outside. L didn't like the outdoors much himself, but since Watari soon left after they got outside, L was certain that Watari just wanted them outside to keep them entertained and out of trouble.

It wasn't that L and BB were children that couldn't be trusted. They just liked to bend the rules sometimes to suit their needs. L was always finding the sweets that Watari desperately tried to hide from him. Watari had embarked on a never ending mission to try and curb the amount of sugary items that L consumed, but it was slowly proving to be a fruitless idea. L's actions were still tamed though, when compared to his companion.

BB caused mischief when he was bored, and he was often bored. He never did anything to hurt someone, but his actions were annoying to the older gentleman and the many teachers that Whmmy's Orphanage hired. Items were moved across the orphanage, and placed in the oddest positions. Other children, who had the unfortunate fate to cross BB's path, had their prized possessions taken and hidden. They were always found a few days later, but until then, children moped around the orphanage and BB would laugh loudly at their pathetic attempts to try and find the items they valued so highly.

Watari feared the day that those two would start to work together. Currently, despite being close friends, they were working separately with their own goals in mind. They could easily combine their intelligences and interests into one mind, and if that ever happens, nothing would be impossible for them.

L had chosen to sit in the shade of one of the larger trees, letting the thick shadows cloak him. All about him, children raced around while playing games. The ever famous L, the one they all dreamed of meeting, was in the open, and nobody realized it. He went unnoticed, quickly dismissed from the mind, but L did not mind. It was their weak observation skills that caused them to fail to notice him.

"Jam is defiantly better," BB pointed out as seriously as a small child could.

"Frosting is sweeter," L argued back.

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Do you have any evidence to support your statement?"

BB frowned down at his knees as he debated his answer. This had been a never ending argument between the two, and so far, nobody was winning. They were both too stubborn to admit defeat, but their claims were fueled by personal opinion rather than facts.

"I'll get the evidence," BB muttered darkly.

"But why do I need another name?" A high-pitch squealing voice suddenly echoed around the orphanage. L and BB instantly cringed away from the sharp sound as both of their dark eyes tried to find the source. "Why can't I go by my real name?"

The source of annoyance soon became clear to them when Watari walked around the corner of the large orphanage. His quiet voice rumbled a response back, but the two boys were too far away to hear him clearly. Holding tightly onto his hand was a new orphan, one who looked too bright and happy to be entering a home for those who had nowhere else to go.

From their distance, it was impossible to tell the gender of the child. The new kid was nearly skipping to keep up with Watari's longer strides. Unlike some of the other children who came to Whammy's Orphanage, he had no kind of baggage on him. L could see that the child was wearing a pair of of ripped, dirty jeans, with a blue shirt that had more patches than original cloth. Dirt, blood, and unmentionables, covered all of his exposed skin, and L couldn't conclude if his hair was originally brown or black. There was just too much grime to tell.

"I bet you his skills are something stupid," BB said after eyeing the newcomer. "Maybe it's drawing or baking."

"Appearances aren't everything." BB was growing to hate L's quiet, emotionless responses.

"I know that," BB snapped back.

"Temper, temper."

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _May, 1990_

BB considered himself L's closest friend. L would admit that BB was his only friend. Yet, despite it all, BB was not free from the monthly tests like L was. BB didn't actually mind taking the tests, he enjoyed the challenge, the tests, and most importantly, he liked being reminded that he was number one.

So L couldn't help but be a little amused when BB lost his temper the next month.

"How did this happen?" BB stomped into L's personal room and launched himself at the extremely soft, extremely bouncy bed. L was not surprised since he was already awake and could see his friend stomping down the hallway before he even arrived. L had chosen to spend the day in bed with a complicated murder case. He was crouched down in his usual pose, with his knees pressed to his chest, and a single arm wrapped around his legs. "Nobody had beaten me. Ever!"

"There's only been one chance since last month's test," L unhelpfully pointed out.

"I know and I can't find any information on the brat. He's as sneaky as an alley cat."

L glanced up from his files to see BB sitting at the foot of his bed, his burgundy eyes still glaring at the test results he was holding. His fingers were tearing into the paper, while BB chewing on the thumb of his other hand. Funny how, until now, L hadn't realized that BB had picked up on that habit of his.

L didn't need to see the black, bolded wording that he had already memorized. Watari had given L his own copy of the test this morning, just a few hours before it was publicly posted. Most of the children had managed to keep their rankings, all except for two.

 **1.)** A - 243 Test Results

 **2.)** B - 241 Test Results

 **3.)** Z - 198 Test Results

BB crumpled up the paper and tossed it somewhere in the shadows of L's room. They both knew that Watari would find it later, when cleaning the room, and dispose of it for them. "He hasn't even been here a full month. The odds of him being prepared for that test was below fourteen point three percent."

"Maybe you should practice your bakery skills more." Was that a joke? BB turned wide eyes to L, unsure if it was a serious suggestion, or if L was being sarcastic.

"I can't tell if you are joking or not," BB finally admitted after a few seconds.

BB never did learn if L was joking or not since next month's test did revolve around household skills like cleaning, and cooking. BB's courses were specialized towards his path of following L's shadow, and contained information about deadly chemicals, food, and weapons that could be found in a typical household and how those could be potential murder weapons, but it was a form of home-economics.

In the end it was just another class that Whammy's Orphanage offered to their advance students.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _July, 1990_

The next two months were highly entertaining to L, and the rest of the orphanage. It was a power struggle that quickly gained momentum and fame. B and A mentally battled back and forth. Sometimes, BB managed to trump over A in a single class, but most of the time, A would be the victorious challenger at the end of the month, only leading by a few points.

While L enjoyed watching the struggle, he also noticed that something was changing in his friend. with each month that passed by, BB grew quieter, and more reclusive. His temper didn't spike as often, and his visits to L were mostly shrouded in silence. He studied harder, even forgoing sleep, and food, to try and beat A.

All to no avail.

What was even worse for BB, was that he still did not know the identity of A. The mysterious child had quickly made friends with many of the orphans, and whenever BB went on the hunt for the true A, he would always find several different children claiming to be the orphanage's top student. Who was the true A, was unknown, since BB had not thought to get a good luck at the child when he first arrived.

As if to make up for BB's lack of knowledge, he began to name all the other children around him. L mused that it was like a game for the young boy. See a face, and add a name to it.

At first, L had thought that BB was just making names for the children since it was impossible for BB to know the real names.

All the children were required to take an alias when they first came to the orphanage. It was for their own safety, along with those who worked within the mysterious orphanage. Even at a young age, many of the children were allowed to view highly private records, and for those competing to be L, they were allowed to solve cases. Being so young, it was a danger if anyone knew their real names, so alias were given. Watari didn't even keep any records of their previous names so it was literally impossible for him to know, unless the children told BB their birth names themselves.

Or so L had thought, until the two of them had gotten into another argument. This time, it was over if peanut butter made chocolate taste better, like it did with jelly.

"I have proof this time." BB waved the stacks of paper in front of L's emotionless face. "Statistics show that people prefer peanut butter with their chocolate."

"That still doesn't change my opinion on the subject."

BB's frown grew even deeper. Was there no winning? Every time he thought he was winning, L would be two steps ahead of him with counter-evidence. If L had no evidence against him, then he would change the rules so he was still winning.

BB was truly starting to regret saying those words to L, when they first met.

"I'll never win against you, Lawliet. Will I?"

BB was too upset, filled with a mix of anger and disappointment, to see L's reaction. He simply threw the papers to the floor, and stormed out of the room. L was left alone in his library, confused and shocked. Only two people in the world knew his name, and that himself, and Watari.

L tightened his arms around his bent knees, hugging them tightly to his chest in a form of comfort. It was impossible for BB to know his name. Just like it was impossible for BB to know the other children's names too.

But somehow, BB always knew.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _August 6th, 1990_

This day was not special in any way. BB and L were just lying on the soft carpet in one of the empty common rooms. A chessboard, the same chessboard they used when they first met, was in the center of the room. Pieces were randomly moved, some of them obviously not on their correct color.

They refuse to call it cheating. It was 'improvising'. They were practicing playing by a new set of rules, since the worst criminals known to man did not play by any rules either. They had to learn to adjust, to beat the other cheaters of the world.

They did have one rule that they had to obey though. Don't get caught ' _improvising_ '.

So the boys were sprawled about on the ground. L was keeping himself entertained by consuming more sweets, but BB was still not sure how, or where, L had managed to find them. Watari often moved them around, to try and stop L's raging sweet tooth, despite the previously failed attempts. BB was keeping himself busy by watching the area above L's head.

Thick, hostile looking numbers were slowly counting down. They were not in any simple order. So far, BB had not been able to figure out how much time was left above L's messy hair. It looked like the answer to a complex formula, but to which formula, BB didn't know yet. The strange numbers, and the meaning behind them, was enough to keep BB's mind preoccupied for some time, especially on boring days when he had nothing better to do.

Their quiet day was shattered by the boom of excited voices. Children's squeals could be heard echoing through the halls, and there was the distinct sound of glass breaking, as it fell to the floor. There was more giggles, and the patter of feet racing down their vacant hallway.

Suddenly, a streak of blue and black, raced into the empty common room. BB and L didn't even have time to react, before the unseen being threw itself over and beneath a nearby couch. There was a muffled giggle, and then silence.

Before L, or BB, could investigate what just intruded on their sanctuary, there was more heavy footsteps. A pudgy man with dark blemished skin, and a walrus mustache, hobbled into the room.

His crinkled eyes scanned the room, and an impressive growl escaped his lips when he didn't find what he was looking for. Behind him, a small gaggle of children were peering inside, each one more excited than the last, in the chase that was happening before their very eyes.

The plump man quickly dismissed the two boys, and stomped down the connecting hallway. The children followed after him blindly, none of them paying attention to the two boys already in the common room. The blob of a man was clearly a man on a mission, and BB had a gut feeling that his objective had just escaped unnoticed, behind their couch.

After everyone was gone, BB moved so he could drape himself over the back of the couch. He quirked up a single eyebrow, as he gazed at the small bundle that was hunched over in an effort to appear as small as possible. With the shadows of the couch, and the extremely baggy clothes and shaggy hair, it was nearly impossible to get a good look at the other child.

All BB could see clearly, was the red numbers, unseen by anyone else, the equally red jar of jam, that was pathetically hidden, and a pair of feline green eyes, which were peering out from a mess of black hair.

"Give me one reason to not call the cook back here," BB whispered with a smirk. A pair of thin, skinny arms, shyly held up the jar of jam. "I'll split it with you."

That was good enough for BB. He quickly snatched the jar, and left the other kid behind the couch. There was an outraged squeak, and the small body once more launched itself back over the couch. The couch gave a small jolt, as more weight was added onto it, and BB's freshly obtained jar was taken from him.

L, who was still laying on the floor, reached over to grab a chess piece that had been discarded earlier, and he started to twirl it between his fingers. Just like every person he met, L took a moment to assess the newcomer, who was currently trying to split the jar with BB, and was failing. BB never did share well.

It was clear from her long, black hair, and her small frame, that this was a young girl. Her bright emerald green eyes were mesmerizing, and unique. L already recognized her as the small girl that Watari had given a tour too, a few months ago, and she was also the newest orphan to date. L also knew who she truly was.

"Why was the cooking chasing you?" BB licked his lips to catch any remaining taste of jam that might linger. He then moved to lick his bare fingers, which he had used to scoop out his share of jam.

The girl sighed at the unmannered display, before pulling a spoon out of her pockets of her jeans, and using that to scoop out her bite of jam. "I might, or might not, have been breaking into the kitchen to get snacks. He tried to catch me this time."

"So you were stealing?" L's voice made the question, into a statement.

"If they didn't want me in there, they should lock it up better," she huffed back. "All the best food is locked up, just begging to be found."

BB tilted his head to the side, as his brown eyes focused on the top of the girl's head. L knew that look too well. BB was about to reveal something that nobody had the right to know.

"Maybe it was being saved for a special occasion, Al-"

She moved with a speed, that most children didn't posses. Her small body tackled BB, pushing him into the couch cushions. In the back of everyone's head, they all registered the sound of glass hitting the floor, and shattering upon impact. Both of her tiny hands were clamped over BB's mouth, keeping him from finishing the name. Her once happy appearance had disappeared, and was replaced with fury of a fluffy, angry kitten.

"That is not my name," she said menacingly.

BB, being older and bigger than the girl, easily pushed her off of him. The smaller girl fell back, but with her balance unsettled, she didn't land on the couch cushions like BB had wanted, and instead found herself landing harshly on the floor. There was a small whimper as the girl used one hand to push herself up, while her other hand rubbed her bruised head.

She managed to scoot herself back so her bright eyes had BB and L in her sight. With a small huff, she moved her arms so she could cross them in front of her chest. BB was quietly snickering at her from his spot on the couch, and L had yet to move from his own position. He was still laying on the floor, his black hair messily spread out on the floor, as the white queen continued to dance between his fingers.

"Then what is your name?" BB asked with a challenging glint in his eyes. It was like he was just daring her to lie to his face, and L watched the exchange with interest.

The girl didn't look like she wanted to answer. Her eyes flickered around the room, going from glaring at BB and L, to staring mournfully at the jar of broken, strawberry jam. She had worked hard to snatch that jar, and now it was just a sticky mess on the carpet.

After a few tense seconds, L decided to answer the question for her. "Her name, is A."

* * *

It does have a slow beginning but the main focus for this story is the _Kira Case_. You, the readers, just need a little bit of background information on my version of A. Our young detective trio is OOC but I would like to remind you that they are children. I know for sure I am not the same person I was three years ago and in a few simple years, personalities can drastically change. I ask that you give me a few chapters first to round out our detectives and bring them to the glory they soon will have before judging them. The next chapter will actually star our mysterious A and I will reveal a bit more about her.

This story, despite being a lovely gift for my beta, does need reviews to continue. It will not be my main focus until Broken Doll is finish but the more reviews that are left behind, the quicker and more motivated I will be to post the new chapters.

Got questions? Feel free to ask them. I will try and answer all the questions left behind without spoiling future plot points. I can tell you right away that Fairy (my beta) gave me certain goals to meet and there are some plot-points she wants me to change from the original story. You just have to give me a chance despite the slow opening. So leave behind a review for me!


	2. Birds of a Feather

Well it's taken forever, but here's an update! I have rewritten the first chapter and now present to you, chapter two. In my two year absence, my beta and I have fleshed out Allie, giving her a full-on character. We attempted to make her as diverse as the rest of the cast, with a background, personality, and dreams. Hopefully, our hard work pays off and others enjoy her as much as we do.

 _Warning :_ This is not a love-story, or for the faint of heart. Sexual situations will make an appearance later. Depression, and suicide is written about, _in detail._ Death, is written about. This story is not sunshines and rainbows. It is meant to be a story that finely walks between "white and black". 'Cause the real world, it's an ugly place and not everything fits cleanly into good or bad. This is the only warning you are getting from me.

 _ **~ .~ Disclaimer ~ .~**_

Death Note and all the characters in it, belong to their rightful owner who is _not_ me. I just write for fun and any characters, dialogue or places you recognize do not belong to me. The Kagome, Kagome song is not mine either though it was a big inspiration for this story and was therefore given an honorary place as the title of this story. I do own all mistake, so feel free to point those out so I may disown/correct them.

* * *

They called it adopting an alias. They claimed it was for protection but to her, it was throwing away the only thing she had left. Living on the streets, surviving from day to day, moving from family to family, it was made clear to her that the only thing that could never change was her name. It belonged to her. Others may have the same name as her but her name had her life, her memories connected behind it.

So when her last foster family couldn't handle her behavior anymore, she was forced to take a dozen random tests. A few days later, she was taken into Wammy's House, where she was told that she would no longer be allowed to use her name. The one thing she owned, the one thing that could never be taken from her, was gone. Wammy had explained his reasons and even though she understood, she could not bring herself to abandon her name fully. So, she became A, in memory of her name and the life she previously had.

Her first few days in the orphanage were rough. She felt like she was always being judged by the other children and their gazes caused havoc on her nerves. For the first time in her life, A wondered if she had an anxiety disorder. She often hid away in her room, ignoring her older roommate and finding refuge in her books. Any books she could read, her mind consumed them. History, math, science, mythology, criminal science, she would read anything, and everything, as long as it kept her mind busy. Her mind soaked it all up and after the first week, A no longer cared what others thought of her, and she didn't notice when they looked at her.

She had been staying in Wammy's House for only two weeks when she first caught news of the monthly tests. She was sitting in the cafeteria, eating some spaghetti for dinner, surrounded by other children of all ages, who were ignoring her. A's attention was mainly focused on her food, and the small book she was hiding under the table, when her ears caught some of the conversation that was happening to her right.

"-tayed up all night and I still don't think I'm ready for tomorrow's test."

"Why do you even try? You won't beat them."

"I might have a chance. I doubt males know much about children."

"Except they _are_ children."

A's curiosity forced her to look up. By her side was two girls, one around her age, and the other one was a few years older. The youngest one had curly blonde hair, and the older girl had extremely short, nondescript brown hair and brown eyes. The eldest noticed they were being watched, and rudely pointed her finger at A, which caused her blonde companion to turn and look at her.

A grimaced as she caught a look at the blonde's face. She had a lot of makeup on and most of it was smeared in a horrified way that resembled a clown. Around her sunburnt neck was a pretty silver necklace, with a plastic flower charm hanging from the center. A always hated clowns and the blonde's dark glare made A concluded that she would hate this copy clown too.

"What are you looking at?" She-clown sneered.

A slowly blinked twice, unsure why the girl was being so hostile when she had down nothing to entice such actions. "Excuse me, what was that about tomorrow's tests?"

"You're the new brat, huh? _Ouch_!" The blonde clutched her head as she glared at the brunette who had just smacked her on the back of the skull.

"What Barby meant to ask, is if you are the new orphan." The brunette was much kinder than her companion.

"I've only been here a few weeks," A explained shyly.

"You'll take your first test tomorrow then," the brunette concluded. "Every month, all the children are required to take a test. It'll rank us based on our results."

"Why do we have to take them?" A questioned.

"It's required if we want to stay here, stupid." Barby snapped back. "Wammy's is a privileged orphanage for only the best."

"I've been told that those who rank in the top three, receive even more special treatment." The brunette continued. "Nobody has beaten the top three since they've been here though."

"You obviously won't beat them either since it's tomorrow, and you didn't know about it until now," Barby finally dismissed A, and turned her back to her.

The brunette gave an apologetic smile and stretched her arm out, extending her hand in friendship. "I'm Jenna and I wouldn't worry too much about it. There's always next month."

"I'm A," she ignored the rude sound that Barby made when she heard the simple name. A reached out and took Jenna's hand, giving her a soft handshake before A let go, and threw herself at Barby. A's thin arms wrapped around the girl's neck and she gave the blonde a faux, friendly hug. "Thank you for your help!"

Barby growled and shoved A off of her. Giggling quietly to herself, A bounced off the bench and collected her book. She skipped back to her room, leaving behind her unfinished spaghetti, and two girls who were unsure what to make of their quick conversation. A had some studying to do.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _May, 1990_

Two days later, A put on her cleanest dress, and skipped out of her room. She immediately joined the herd of children that were pushing their way into one of the dozen of different common rooms. She used her small size to her advantage, and wiggled her way between the other bodies who were trying to use force to get their way to the front. With minimum effort, and only having her toes stepped on twice, she made it to the front where a sheet of page was pinned to the wall.

 **1.)** A - 243 Test Results

 **2.)** B. - 241 Test Results

 **3.)** Z - 198 Test Results

"You did it!" There was an excited squeal and then a heavy weight slammed into A's back, almost sending her to the floor.

Jenna caught her before gravity could take ahold of her, and the cloud of tangled blonde hair from the corner of A's eye told her that Barby was the one wrapped around her. A frowned for a moment at the blonde's friendly attitude, which was a vast difference from her previous behavior. _'Two-faced harpy,'_ A thought.

"How did you do it?" Jenna asked.

"Can you tutor me?" Barby squealed even louder.

The girls' excited attention was like forcing a spotlight on A. Soon the other children quickly concluded who she was, and the attention that was focused on the test results, were now turned to her. Other kids wanted to meet her. Demands to be tutored, screams about her cheating and even bribery were thrown at her. A didn't like being the center of attention, but her sharp mind knew that it was better to make friends than enemies. So she put on a false smile and pretended to make friends, but in her mind, they all blended together to create a large crowd that she could possibly use.

A tucked her hand into the pocket her dress, and fingered the silver necklace with the flower charm, to remind herself that none of them truly wanted to be her friends. None of them even noticed her until her name was at the top of that paper. They just wanted her knowledge and help. She couldn't let herself be fooled no matter how genuine they seemed.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _June, 1990_

"You know, someone is looking for you." Jenna informed A one evening.

"Hmm," A nibbled on the tip of her pen as she scanned the page. She was aware of Jenna talking to her, but the young girl wasn't paying much attention to her. She underlined a section of the page before pausing to look up. "Do you know who it is?" A murmured.

There was a lot of children who were searching for her. Some wanted her knowledge. Others wanted to know how she cheated the test. Even more just wanted to bully her, unhappy that she had been scoring the highest results without even trying. A considered Jenna one of her rare, few friends now, and the older girl was good at sorting through gossip. A had managed to escape bullies because Jenna's intel either warned her ahead of time, or the older girl's presence kept them away.

"I _just_ told you," Jenna growled out. "Nobody is sure who he is but I've seen him. He looks like the creepy sort and he's trying really hard to find you."

"You don't know who it is?" A couldn't believe that. Jenna knew everybody either by association, personally, or through gossip. There wasn't a face around that Jenna didn't have a fact or rumor about. So she was surprised when Jenna shook her head, her own brown eyes upset at the thought. "Do you have any ideas who it might be?"

"There's only two people here who I don't know about," Jenna started to curl a strand of hair around her finger. A knew that Jenna only did this when she was nervous. "It's either B or L."

A snorted at the thought of it being L. Since she had gotten here, she had heard so many rumors and legends about Mr. 'Legendary' and frankly, A didn't believe he existed. It was just a false God that the children had created to justify their competitive behavior. As long as they become 'L', then anything they did to get there was okay. It was a stupid thought. B, on the other hand, was a child who was being ranked every month, and there had been sightings of that strange boy, even though A had never see him herself. Unlike L, A knew that B was real.

"So, B wants to see me," A murmured to herself. "Jenna, want to play a game with me?"

"What kind of game?" Jenna raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow at the thought.

"How many kids want to share my name?"

 **o.0.O.0.o**

A was a thief. There was no nice way to label her. She was a drifter, running from foster family, to foster family. Most of the time, she didn't even learn her foster family's name. She chose to be on the streets, where nobody judged her and her face was never remembered. To survive on the streets though, one had to do illegal things and A was _very good_ at being a thief.

It was like a second nature to her. Sometimes A stole things in a form of revenge, like when she stole Barby's necklace when they first met. Other times, she did it for the thrill and rush of escaping with the object. Most of the time, she didn't even know she was doing it. She was like a cat, stealing and hoarding things, but never having a reason for her behavior.

A was thankful that her roommate was a private person. A didn't know much about her, she was a quiet girl who would give a fearful squeak if A even look at her. So, her roommate never tattled on her about the hoarding problem she seemed to have and the strange items that just appeared in their joint room.

The children here were too privileged though. Whenever something went missing, they would be upset for a day or two but when they couldn't find it, they would just get a new one. _'That made it no fun.'_ The children bounced back too quickly, and the dose of adrenaline that A was searching for, was short lived.

So, she switched her targets to the adults. The adults were moodier and while most of the teachers at Wammy's orphanage were good at their job, they had a natural distrust of the children. A couldn't blame them that much. They were surrounded by children who were easily smarter than them, so whenever anything went wrong, they blamed the kids. A loved watching them try and figure out _how_ the necklace around their necks disappeared, or how the expensive watch that hugged their wrist was suddenly gone.

A's favorite person to mess with was the grumpy, overweight chef. Every time A broke into the kitchen, usually to steal some fresh fruit that was in the locked fridge, she would take satisfaction in the knowledge that come morning, his outraged shouts would fill the orphanage. Amongst the children, it was no secret who was stealing the adults' possessions. Everyone knew that A had sticky fingers, but they thought of her as their friend, so they refused to turn her in when the adults questioned them.

Her friends were also good for creating a cover. A few days after Jenna had spread word of the game, there were a dozen of different children pretending to share the name 'A'. All ages, sizes and genders, lended her a hand and a couple of days later, rumors were spreading. B, whoever he was, was persistently continuing his search for her but A kept herself cleverly hidden away, and let the others act as her eyes, tongue and shield.

A, having run into a limited amount of room in her bedroom, had to become choosier on what she stole. Expensive items were stored away. Junk that she once liked, but had no interest in anymore, was given away or tossed out. To continue gaining her adrenaline rush but to curb back on her nasty habit, A decided to focused her attention on stealing from the kitchen.

Every time that night fell, A would creep her way through the dark halls. Her socked feet made no sound on the carpet, and she would wear her loosest pajamas, just in case she had to make a quick getaway. She paused in front of the large door that guarded the orphanage's gigantic kitchen. Out of habit, she wiggled the brass doorknob, but it didn't move. Every night, the cook made sure to lock it but it was a stupidly simple lock. A reached into her messy black hair to pull out a hairpin.

Within seconds, the locked door was open but A didn't immediately sneak in. Instead she peeked a single green eye in, searching the walls carefully. The cook had recently demanded that cameras were installed in an effort to catch the thief, but A could spot all seven of them. _'There's even one under the bread box. How paranoid,'_ A snickered internally.

Her advanced mind quickly formulated which route was the best for her to take. She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and then dropped down to her hands and knees. She moved quickly, calculating where the blind spots were and keeping to them. It was with ease that she reached the fridge. A was annoyed to find yet another lock on the fridge door, and she had to use her trusty hairpin to open this lock too.

As she snuck back out, A mused to herself that with the new locks and cameras, she would be unable to sneak in as often as before. This would be the last theft for a few days. She needed to give the cook time to relax his guard after he discovering her brilliant thievery. It would be stupid of her to grow too confident and make a mistake now.

She crept away with her prizes, being careful to not leave a crumb trail behind her. This time her hands were filled with strange sugary treats she had found instead of the naturally sweet fruit she favored. There had also been some candy in there but the small pieces didn't appeal to A as much as the cookies and biscuits she had found hidden in the back of the fridge. Come morning, she would share them with all the children who had been sharing her name and helping her to distract B. Even if these kids were not her friends and only wanted her knowledge, A had a soft heart and she couldn't ignore them no matter how rude they were to her at times.

o.0.O.0.o

August 6th, 1990

In her mind, the days blurred together. Her stay at the strange orphanage had blended into an unknown amount of time. Mornings lead to afternoons, the afternoons lead to nights, and then it would repeat. The only thrill in her little life was the weekly break ins at the kitchen, and the cook's outraged screaming the next morning. So far, there was no evidence against her, but A had a feeling that the old man who had originally brought her to the orphanage, knew everything. His appearance was rare, but when she did she catch sight of him, he was usually patrolling the halls, and their interactions were so short that A no longer remembered his name. However, when A did catch her rare glimpses of him, he would stare at her with his blue eyes surrounded by wrinkles, and the sharp gleam there made A puff out her flat chest, as if returning an unsaid challenge.

He never returned the challenge though, and so her life stayed bleak. Her boredom had increased, and when she was bored, A was stupid. She took unnecessary risks, becoming mean or temperamental, and she wasn't aware of her behavior until later. So at the time, A thought it was a brilliant idea. She wanted to break into the kitchen during the day. She was craving strawberries, and she wanted a more challenging issue. Trying to wiggle past the cameras, and the cook at the same time, and getting out without being caught, was the best thing she could think of to give her that adrenaline she was searching for.

Getting in was easy since the door wasn't locked during the day. The pudgy cook was busy baking some kind of cake, and he had his back to the entrance and the fridge. A stuck to the route she had created, which toured through all the camera's blind spots and she reached the fridge, which the cook had also left unlocked. _'Good, don't have to waste extra time picking this lock,'_ A thought to herself as she carefully opened the door, aware of the squeak it made when it was halfway open. She stopped just before then and squeezed her thin arms through the tiny crack. Her fingers searched blindly, and she grabbed the first thing she could see that had a picture of strawberries on it.

 _'Jam',_ A grumbled internally. She didn't hate jam, but she found it sickly sweet when eaten alone, and there was no way A was going to be able to grab some bread, because it was by the cook's side, right in his view. _'Well, I did crave something sweet.'_

Now, if A had left at that moment, she would have been fine, but the easy theft made her over-confident. So she decided she wanted a spoon too. How else was she suppose to eat the jam? She slipped away from the fridge, and opened one of the drawers that held the expensive silverware that the orphanage somehow owned. She stayed crouching, so she was unable to see into the draw, and had to rely on touch alone.

 _'That's a butter knife. Fork. Smaller fork? What is that? This drawer sure has a lot of silverware. Ah! Finally, a spoon!'_ A had to suppress a sigh of joy as she finally found a spoon.

 _Clink, Clink!_

It was like a scene from a horror movie that A had once watched. At the small sound, such an insignificant sound, the whole world seemed to freeze. A could feel sudden weight on her shoulders and she swore she could hear the cook's neck creaking as he turned his head slowly towards her. There was no cheek-splitting, serial killer grin on his face but the triumph, dark glare was scary enough to her. The two enemies locked eyes for a second, each one registering what was happening in their heads, before A snapped herself out of her horrified daze, and raced out of the kitchen.

There was an angry roar, like an enraged bull and then she could feel the ground shaking beneath her as the cook gave pursuit. His footsteps were loud, and with how fat he was, A was surprised by how fast he was too. His longer legs would soon eat up the lead she had, and she didn't want to know what he would do to her once he caught her. She had been stealing from him for so long, that there must be a lot of suppressed rage built up.

A took a desperate turn around a corner, and raced through one of the common rooms. She could hear the other children, all surprised at her quick retreat, and some of them were hollering after her to make sure she was okay. The cook was only a few feet behind her, and when they saw who was pursing A, the excitement level jumped. Giggles, joyful screams and encouragement followed A out of the hall, and the sound of smaller feet joining the pursuit echoed behind her. A was too busy trying to keep on her feet, while dodging around as many corners as she could, to pay proper attention to the crowd she was creating with every group she raced through and every room she ran by.

 _'Why do all the walls look the same?'_ A prayed she was not going in circles, but this orphanage had never heard of landmarks. The walls were made of the same wood, and the giant oak doors were not allowed to be the decorated, so they stood as sentries, each one the same as before. She ducked down another corner and finally spotted something different from the edge of her eye.

There was a large spider web in the corner of one of the walls. It was so small, but it stood out in her mind. The orphanage was always kept an unhealthy amount of clean, and the fact that one spider was still alive and had created a web, was odd. It was like no one went down this hallway.

A had no time to dwell on it though. The cook was gaining ground fast and A knew she had to lose him somehow because her stamina was wearing out. She had to be crafty. She had to figure out a brilliant, unique way out of this situation that would make the other children respect her and piss off the cook.

So when the hallway opened into a large common room, A didn't have time to question herself. She caught a glimpse of two other children in the room, and she hoped they wouldn't give her away. She launched her body up and over the lone couch and took shelter behind it. She pressed as close as she could to the fabric, while clutching the jar even closer to her body. She felt like a toddler, hiding from the parents who wanted to bathe her. Just the thought of the pudgy chef attempting to give a toddler a bath made her giggle before she quieted down and held her breath.

She could hear the cook's heavy footsteps as he made his way into the room. The excitement of her crowd had only increased as each child tried to speak over each other. There was one heavy moment where the cook looked over the area and then she could hear him stomped his way down another hallway. The excited children followed him blindly, leaving blessed silence after them. A felt the tension leave her body when she realized that she had escaped!

"Give me one reason to not call the cook back here," an ominous voice reached her ears.

A peeked up through her messy hair to see the oddest child she ever had the misfortune to meet. Granted, she couldn't see much of him since he was surrounded by a black spiky mane that might have been his hair, but she could see two pale white hands which were gripping the edge of the couch tightly. His face was also pale, making the one burgundy eye that wasn't covered by hair, stand out. To the young girl, he looked creepy, but she feared the cook's wrath more than this boy.

So she offered the only thing she had at the moment to secure his alliance. A raised the jar of jam and said, "I'll split it with you."

The jar was quickly swiped out of her hands as the boy took it and disappeared again. She gave an outraged squeak, and immediately launched herself back over the couch so she could pursue the creepy boy who had stolen from her, a fellow thief. She was ready to pursue him, if needed, but he hadn't chosen to run away with her prize. Instead, he was sitting on the couch, struggling to open the airtight lid.

A took her jar back and easily opened the lid he was struggling with. Instead of thanking her, the strange boy reached over and stuck his hands in the jar to scoop out a large glob with his bare fingers, and then proceeded to lick his fingers. A's face scrunched up at the unruly, disgusting sight. His strange brown eye was watching her reaction carefully as he proceeded to do it again. He stuck his fingers, the ones that he had just licked clean, back into her jar of jam, much to her disgust. A considered surrendering the jar to him, but a tiny part of her protested at the idea. She had stolen it. She had gotten chased for it. Why should she submit? Despite her not wanting to admit it, she had eaten grosser things when she was on the streets.

"Why was the cook chasing you?" Creepy boy licked his lips to catch any traces of jam that might have been lingering, and then moved to clean his hands. _'Was his lack of manners even worth mentioning to him?'_

A decided it would be more effort than it was worth, and just sighed, before pulling out the stolen spoon from her jean pockets. She casted a meaningful glance at the boy on the couch but he seemed unable to understand her message. _'Or he doesn't care for my manners either,'_ A mused as she scooped out a bit of jam.

"I might, or might not, have been breaking into the kitchen to get snacks. He tried to catch me this time." A was not going to mention how it was her mistake that alerted the cook to her presence.

"So you were stealing?" A new voice drawled out.

A forgot that she had glimpsed two boys in the room when she had raced in. Now they probably thought she was rude because she had ignored the other boy. A slyly moved her eyes so she could see the other orphan from the corner of her eyes without giving away her surprise. He was just as strange as the boy who had used his fingers to scoop out her jam.

His skin was almost a bleached white, and it looked unhealthy. He was wearing a plain white shirt and blue jeans, both of which were so baggy on him that it swallowed his tiny frame and pooled on the floor. He was currently sprawled out on his back, his own black hair messily spread out over the floor. The two boys looked similar, almost like brothers, but their hairstyles were different, and this boy had grey eyes instead of the burgundy color of the other one. By his side was an abandoned, mismatched chess board, and twirling between his fingertips was the white queen.

"If they didn't want me in there, they should lock it up better." A explain with a huff. "All the best food is locked up, just begging to be found."

The boy on the couch tilted his head to the side and A watched as his eyes moved to look at her hair. The boy on the floor tensed for some strange reason, causing A to tense in response. What was wrong? What was going to happen? She glared at the other boy, silently challenging him to do something against her.

"Maybe they were being saved for a special occasion, Al-"

Whatever attack she had been expecting, it wasn't that. A didn't have a chance to think, only time to react. She launched her small body across the couch, and tackled the stranger who dared to utter her name. Her attack took the boy by surprise and he fell back, with A on top on him, clamping both of her hands over his mouth so he couldn't finish the name. In the background, she heard the sound of glass breaking and shards bouncing off the floor.

For a second, the world froze around her. A part of her questioned why she was acting so hostile towards a name. Didn't she cherish and love her name? Did she not, at one point, want to keep her name? So why? Why did it upset her when it was almost muttered?

Another dark part of her mind whispered the answer back to her. Like many of her stolen possessions, it was something she no longer needed to share. It could belong to just her, and nobody had the right to know or say it anymore. Her name was her most prized possession and she was not going to share it unless she chose to. To others, she was now A, and her birth name belonged to only her.

"That is not my name," A tried to say as menacingly as she could.

The boy pushed against her and being the bigger opponent, A didn't stand a chance against him. She felt herself starting to fall back and she panicked, trying to right herself, but her actions only caused her to fall to the floor instead of falling back on the couch cushions.

 _Crack!_

She whimpered as her skull harshly impacted with the floor and the taste of blood filled her mouth. She reflexively swallowed and then ran her injured tongue over the roof of her mouth to see how bad the damage was. She continued to taste blood, but it didn't hurt when she applied pressure, so she assumed the injury was small. It was now her skull, which was imitating a marching band, that pained her. _'At least I didn't land on the glass shards.'_

A used one hand to push herself up, and used her other hand to cradle her bruised skull. She scooted herself back so she could keep both of the strange boys in her view. None of them seemed to care about her injuries. The one on the couch was snickering to himself, and the boy on the floor hadn't even bothered to look up from his position. He was still on his back, twirling that stupid chess piece between his fingers.

"Then what is your name?" A didn't like the glint that had entered the boy's eye. It made the weird brown color a sinister red, but A refused to be scared by a color. She took turns glaring at the red eyed boy, glaring at the useless one on the floor, and staring mournfully at the broken jar of strawberry jam.

 _'The struggles I went through, all for nothing. I hope one of them steps on the shards. Maybe it'll teach them some manners.'_ She decided it would be rude of her to not answer the question, but before she could fix her mistake, the boy on the floor answered for her.

"Her name is A."

The room filled with sudden tension at the sound of her name. The boy on the couch narrowed his eyes, and his gaze flickered from her, to the the boy on the floor. The other kid seemed unfazed at the look, or too concerned about unwrapping the piece of hard candy he had just pulled out of his pocket. The creepy boy moved so he was crouched on the couch, with his feet on the cushion and his knees tucked into his chest. It would have looked cute if done by a younger child, but this boy seemed too old to be pulling such childish actions.

" _The_ A?" His burgundy eyes were locked on A, and a dark smirk pulled on the edge of his lips.

A knew that tone. It was the voice of someone who had just found the unobtainable, and only one child would pretend to be excited to meet A while the air around him screamed of hostility and tension. _'Guess the game is up.'_ "Nice to meet you, B. I've heard you've been looking for me."

"You were hiding from me," B stated monotonously.

"I was playing a game with you." A smirked victoriously. "You lost."

"I never lose."

A, still clutching the back of her throbbing head, pushed herself to her feet and stumbled towards the boy on the floor. His grey eyes watched her carefully, analyzing her every move. A gave the sweetest smile she could and stuck her hand out. The boy just stared at her hand, not moving to shake it. "I'm Amalia," she offered.

He blinked slowly, but still didn't move. After a few seconds, A's arm began to feel weak, but she stubbornly kept it out there for the boy to accept. Finally, he moved, but not to accept her offer of friendship. He just used his elbows to push himself up to a sitting position, and A finally let her arm drop in defeat.

"If you're going to lie about your name, you should use the letters B already revealed."

"Then my name is Alyssa," A smoothly corrected.

"It's a better lie, but still a lie."

"Can you prove otherwise?" A challenged back.

"Not yet, but there is a ninety-seven percent chance that you are lying."

"I _know_ she's lying." B muttered to himself.

"And your name is?" Alyssa ignored B, and spoke solely to the still unnamed boy.

"Holmes." B snorted from his spot on the couch, but A already knew that the name he gave was a lie. Not an alias like most of them had, but a flat out lie. He didn't even hesitate to give out a name. He sounded like he just chose one at random.

"You told me to not lie about my name. Don't you think that's a little hypocritical?"

"I said if you are going to lie, lie using the facts that were already revealed about you."

 _'Odd. They were both odd boys,'_ the young girl concluded. Alyssa was beginning to feel uncomfortable under both of their gazes, and neither one of them seemed inclined to ease the growing tension. Alyssa pulled a strand of hair over her shoulder and started to nervously fiddle with it. Should she just leave? The cook probably forgot about her by now or found some other unsuspecting kid to unleash his wrath on.

"Well," Alyssa rocked back and forth on the balls of her heel, "I really should be leav-"

"It's unlike you to make a mess," a new voice intruded the common room.

Alyssa turned in surprise to see the elder that originally brought her to the manor. He was wearing a black tuxedo and his eyes looked smaller than usual behind his wire-rimmed glasses. His snow white hair was messy and tousled, which seemed unlike his normally collective self. If he was surprised to see Alyssa in the room, she couldn't tell. He just gave the small girl a friendly smile. "Hello, A."

 _'Of course he knows who I am. I told him my name when I first moved in.'_ "It's actually Alyssa now."

"Oh?" He didn't sound surprise. The three children watched as he walked closer to the broken jar on the carpet. As he passed by Holmes, he reached a hand down to tousle his hair and Holmes leaned slightly into his touch. When he passed B, he repeated the same action but B didn't react at all to the touch. "For how long will you keep this name?"

Alyssa shrugged her shoulders. "Until I get bored of it."

"And how did you meet these two?" The older man questioned as he bent down to pick up one of the larger shards of glass.

"By accident," Alyssa chirped up with a false smile. Her eyes glared at the other two boys, warning them to keep quiet about how they really met.

B, took her glare as a challenge. "She was running away from the cook," he smugly informed.

Alyssa flinched, expecting for the man to be mad. She had stolen the jar, caused a ruckus and lead an orphanage-large chase through the house. Her foster families would always be mad at her when she caused a disturbance, and she had no reason to believe this situation would be any different.

The gentleman straightened up, and even though he had his back to her when Alyssa had flinched, it was like he sensed her preparing for punishment. He turned to look at her and gave another smile, his face looking even more gentle with the wrinkles on the edge of his lips and eyes. Resting in one of his hands was shards of different sizes, each one carefully cradled in his palm so they wouldn't hurt him.

"Charlie could use the exercise." So the pudgy cook had a name. Alyssa wondered if Jenna knew about this or not. "He's still looking for you though. I would run back to your room before he comes back."

Alyssa knew a dismissal when she heard one and for once, she was more than happy to disappear. She didn't want to be blame for the broken jar, a feat that B was not above, and she wanted to leave the company of the strange boys. "Of course. Nice to meet you B, Holmes and . . .," Alyssa trailed off when she remember that she didn't know the gentleman's name.

"Wammy." Alyssa wanted to smack herself. _'Of course.'_ This was Wammy's Orphanage, and this was the man who had brought her to her new home.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Wammy."

Alyssa turned on her heels and bolted out of the room before anyone could change their minds. Alyssa was sure that this was the strangest encounter she had ever had and she had once spent time with hobos and bums. At least she got to escape them, even if it had cost her her stolen jar of jam. Hopefully, this would be the last time she ever saw them again. They did live in a large orphanage so the odds were in her favor.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

Alyssa was left alone for a week. For her, life continued as normal. She studied. She gossiped with Jenna. She did stop stealing from Charlie, for the time being. Alyssa had even pushed the odd encounter with Holmes and BB to the back of her mind. There were many odd children in the orphanage, and while those two were the oddest she ever met, they were just children in her mind.

Alyssa liked to spend her mornings outside, under the rising sun with whatever book was her current obsession. Today, it was some kind of strange fantasy book. Typically, fiction doesn't catch Alyssa's attention, she loved facts and history more, but the cover art was unique and there was a _lot_ of killing in it.

Alyssa, despite her current reading material, was not obsessed with death. She valued all life equally, and that was one of the reasons she wanted to be the best detective ever. If she was the greatest, undefeated by all, then she could save many lives. Nobody, and nothing, deserved to die for no reason.

Around her, the world was quiet. Other children typically slept in if they didn't have morning classes, and if they were awake, they were studying in the library. These peaceful moments were something she treasured dearly. It was a time she could collect her thoughts and center her mind.

"Should a little girl be reading something so bloody?" Alyssa lowered her book to glare darkly at whoever dared to intrude on her tranquil time.

However, she wasn't prepared for what was on the other side of the book and she gave a loud, frightened yelp. At first glance, all she could see was glowing red eyes, a pale face covered in some kind of red liquid, and teeth bared in a mocking smile, which was also stained red. Her heart seemed to stop and her eyes felt like they were going to fall out of her head, before the logical part of her mind took over and put a name to her living nightmare.

"Hello again, B," Alyssa squeaked out.

Like a rabid animal, the boy crawled forward a few steps, still on his hands and knees. Alyssa couldn't stop the shudder that ran down her spine at the sight. B grinned widely and crept even closer, his eyes flickering from her eyes to the top of her head.

"Ready to admit your name, Al-"

" _Hey_! You're going to get me in trouble," Alyssa snarled out, "if you continue to try and reveal my name. Can't you just call me Alyssa?"

"It's a lie."

"You can't prove it," Alyssa slammed her book closed. "Unless there is solid evidence behind your thesis, you have nothing."

"That is true," BB quietly agreed.

His steady gaze made her feel uncomfortable, and her fingers started to twitch as she resisted the urge to play with her clothes. It was an old habit of hers that she had yet to stop, but she knew that BB would catch on to what it meant, and she did not want him to know she was nervous around him. He seemed like the type who would take pleasure in that.

After a few minutes of just staring at each other, Alyssa started to grow annoyed. _'I've never been very patient.'_ "What do you want, B?"

"I'm just watching you."

"Well don't," Alyssa made a shooing gesture with her hand. "Leave now."

"I don't want to," B calmly stated. While it was a childish statement, he said it with such conviction that he sounded almost threatening.

"It's creepy when you're watching me!" Alyssa protested loudly.

"How unfortunate."

Alyssa tried to ignore him. She turned her attention back to her book, forcing herself to enjoy her morning like she always did. Her mind kept wandering to the boy by her side though, remembering his odd brown eyes, the way he crawled like something out of her nightmares, and the strange crimson goop that was covering his clothes. After a few seconds, Alyssa could no longer ignore the weight of his gaze.

"Please tell me that's not blood," Alyssa begged quietly. It certainly looked like blood at first glance, even if the young girl knew that was a ridiculous thought.

"It's not blood," B repeated monotonously. Alyssa made a face at the emotionless answer, and he grinned before swiping a finger over the goop and sticking it in his mouth. "It's jelly."

"You have got to be kidding me," Alyssa grumbled. _'How the hell did he get it all over himself? Did he roll in it or something?'_

"I do not lie," he answered her rhetorical question.

"B," Alyssa sighed and looked him right in the eyes. _'Or the one eye I can see through that mane.'_ "What do you want?"

"Shouldn't you be studying? The test is soon."

"I have it handled. Shouldn't you be studying?" Alyssa smirked at him. "Don't want to come in second place again, huh?"

"I will win," B vowed darkly.

The dark timber in his voice, paired with his narrowed eye resting over huge black bags, sent a shiver down her spine. She still thought that B was odd, but at this moment, he was also scary. Alyssa, for the first time in a long time, felt afraid. Her animalistic instincts were screaming at her to fight or flight. She knew she could take down B if she wanted. He was a scrawny boy and A had fought on the streets before, but she also knew that if she fought him, Wammy would be mad at her and she would be punished. So that left only one option, flee.

"There's no need to be so hostile," Alyssa closed her book and pushed herself to her feet. "It's just a test. It's not that important, and you're still better than everyone else here."

B didn't respond to that. He only watched her as Alyssa dusted her overly feminine skirt off and started to walk away. She could feel his eyes on her the whole time and she only felt safe when she got inside and had a solid wall separating them.

Alyssa did what any young genius would do. It was obvious that B avoided other children unless it was required, and he was antisocial. He also creeped her out and made her want to hide inside her own skin. Therefore, Alyssa went to find Jenna and Barby, hoping their presence would act as a ward against B and keep him away from her.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _August 22nd, 1990_

Alyssa was _wrong_. It wasn't very often that this happened, in fact it had never happened before, but she had met her match in B. For a short amount of time, she was able to keep her distance from her rival. Her two loud, feminine friends stuck by her side, not even questioning why she suddenly wanted to spend so much time in their company.

Then the gift appeared. _If that's what you would call a gift_ , she mumbled in her head as her fingers poked the glass jar, treating it like a bomb. Alyssa had woken up, her roommate long gone, to see the innocent jar of raspberry jelly sitting on the nightstand. On the cap was a small folded note with elegant, cursive handwriting reading, **_'Repayment'_**. One word, one jar and yet, Alyssa knew who it was from.

 _'How the hell did he get into my room?'_ Alyssa shivered at the thought of B crawling around, while her roommate and her slept, unaware of the intruder. _'That's taking creepy to a new level. Stalker, maybe?'_

Still, Alyssa chose to continue her exposure to the chattering feminine duo that day. Maybe he had only approached her because she was sleeping and alone? There was no evidence to prove that he would chose to appear if she continued to stay with her friends. Armed with a book, and her new jar of jelly, Alyssa stormed into the cafeteria and joined Jenna and Barby at their usual table.

"Here," Alyssa slid the jar of jam across the table. It was only Jenna's quick reflexes that saved it from crashing to the floor.

"That looks disgusting," Barby spat out.

"Then give it back to the cook," Alyssa snapped back.

"You didn't steal this jar, did you?" Jenna asked in a cautious whisper.

"No, I just found it," Alyssa answered honestly.

Breakfast passed peacefully and Jenna even opened the jar and spread some of the jam on her toast. Alyssa watched her carefully, almost expecting her to fall over from poisoning, but Jenna was fine and soon afterwards, Barby ate some too. It was only Alyssa who refused to touch the sticky substance. She was not going to encourage her stalker to leave more gifts by appreciating this one.

After breakfast, they separated to attend their afternoon classes. Jenna and Barby went one way, while Alyssa split off to attend her more advance classes, which were held in another part of the orphanage.

There were other students with her in these classes. She did not know their names but she recognized their faces, and remembered some of the rumors that Jenna had told her about them. The boy sitting in front of her was afraid of the dark. The girl sitting near the front of the class had a little sister who died, and rumor has it, her mother was the murderer. The twins sitting behind her were brilliant, but only if they were together. If you separated them, they wouldn't be able to do even the most basic of math, as they had a crippling form of social anxiety.

Each child had his or her own story to tell. Each one had a dream, a hope and a fear. They were unique, even the identical twins and yet, Alyssa wondered why they were all here. Were they trying to score the highest? Was this the dream they were following? Or did they have nothing better to do than conform to the system?

Alyssa's classes passed in a daze. She participated, she answered the questions, and she turned in her work, but if anyone was to ask her later on what she was doing, she would be unable to answer. She was on autopilot, cruising through her classes.

When evening came, Alyssa could be found taking refuge in the library. The setting sun illuminated the dozens of shelves and she had already begun to complete the homework, all of which had nearly impossible deadlines. Everyone knew to leave her alone when she had homework and so, Alyssa was given a wide berth. The only sound to fill the library was her pencil scratching against paper and pages being flipped rapidly. She didn't even notice her eyes growing heavier and heavier by the hour, or how the sky was steadily darkening outside.

Alyssa wasn't sure when she fell asleep. The library door slammed shut, causing Alyssa to jolt awake. She had been using her open textbook and pencil as a pillow. Her neck creaked in pain and her pencil was stuck to her cheek for a few seconds before falling down, leaving an impression behind. She looked out the window in front of her to see a image of a beautiful sunrise, proof that she had spent the night in the library.

She blinked rapidly, removing the sleep from her eyes, and letting out a large yarn. She was aware of the shadow being casted from behind since she first opened her eyes, but she continued to ignore it for the moment. Sleeping in the library was painful, and she was determine to relax her body a little bit before facing her morning visitor. The odds were that it was Jenna, Barby or one of her fans, waiting patiently for her to acknowledge them anyways. She stretched as much as she could without getting up, extending her arms until they trembled, and then doing the same to her legs.

"Are you done, now?" A kind voice chuckled amusingly.

"Eh?" Alysaa turned in surprise to see Wammy behind her. In one hand was a silver tray filled with a variety of breakfast choices and oddly, some cakes. The children were never allowed sweets until after dinner, and her interest was perked immediately. Her bright green eyes scanned over Wammy and she reached up to brush a stray curl behind her ear.

"Can I help you?" Alyssa politely inquired.

Wammy smiled at her display and Alyssa blushed at the sight. "Are you still calling yourself Alyssa, A?"

Alyssa shrugged while giving a small sharp nod. "For today. I'm getting bored of it though."

"Well, Miss Alyssa, Holmes would like to ask you to join him for breakfast."

"No," was Alyssa's immediate answer.

"Why not?"

"He's creepy."

"Does this bother you?"

"Yes."

"Is there no way for me to persuade you otherwise?" Wammy's smile was slowly dying down and Alyssa was filled with the suspicion that he was disappointed in her. "It is rude to judge someone so quickly."

"I don't like them." _'Oops.'_

"Them?" Wammy was quick to catch onto her mistake and Alyssa nibbled on her bottom lip as she tried to figure a way out of the situation.

"B and Holmes." Under Wammy's sharp, knowing gaze the words just spilled from her lips without her permission. "I know Holmes is lying about his name and I don't trust people who lie to me. B has also been leaving me gifts. They're both creepy boys, and I don't like them."

"What kind of gifts?" The older gentleman inquired cautiously.

"He broke into my room and left me a jar of jam . . . while I was sleeping." Alyssa dramatically shudder.

"I will have to speak to him then," Alyssa felt a little bit better knowing that Wammy was taking her seriously, but when he still didn't leave, Alyssa knew he was going to be insistent. "First impressions lasts a long time, but both of them are not as bad as you concluded. Please, have breakfast with Holmes."

He looked so sincere that Alyssa felt a moment of doubt. Maybe she had judged him harshly? She was just thinking yesterday that everyone was unique, and it would be terrible to judge someone off something she was mentally encouraging.

 _'Maybe only one of them will be there. I can handle a small breakfast if it's only one of them.'_

She sighed, a sign of submission, and grabbed her book and notes. Carrying her school work with her, she followed Wammy as he lead the way out of the library and through the orphanage.

Alyssa glared at the floor, mentally scolding herself for her moment of weakness and dragged her feet the whole way there.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

When they finally reached the private wing of the manor that nobody else seemed to know about, Alyssa was met with a strange sight. Alyssa already knew that fate hated her, so therefore, both boys were there, but that's not what was weird. They were seated on the floor in a library and from a distance, they looked nearly identical. They were both crouched in that childish way, wearing baggy blue jeans and styling messy black hair. Both of their eyes were locked on a small television in the corner, which was playing some strange scene that Alyssa couldn't make sense of yet. The only difference between the two was that one wore a white shirt, while the other wore a navy blue shirt.

"Please, take a seat," Holmes spoke without turning around.

Alyssa absently moved forward, her eyes watching the strange movie on the television. Was that security footage? It was odd, and the scenes were flashing by so fast that it was starting to hurt her head.

Wammy didn't announce his own presence, and the boys didn't acknowledge him. Instead he moved forward with Alyssa but when Alyssa chose to take a seat, keeping some distance between her and the strange boys, Wammy chose to place the tray of sweets and breakfast food on the floor, between the two boys.

B stretched out and attempted to snag a plate of cake but Holmes was a second quicker. Holmes didn't even flinched under B's cold glare, a feat that amazed Alyssa, as he continued to munch on the sweet he managed to take. When B's glare proved useless against Holmes, the darker dressed boy reached out and snagged some pie.

"You should help yourself," B spoke around a mouthful of pie, and Alyssa cringed at the sight.

"You shouldn't speak with your mouth full," chided Alyssa.

B made a show of swallowing his mouthful, his large eyes staring unblinkingly at her before saying, "Holmes won't leave you anything if you wait."

The other boy did look ready to grab some more food and her stomach growled loudly at the thought of being without breakfast. B snickered at the sound, but Alyssa ignored him and reached out to grab the small bowl full of strawberry slices. Holmes reached out to grab another sweet, his eyes never moving from the screen, and B turned his eyes back to the movie.

Alyssa ate a few pieces to please her empty stomach before turning to watch the same movie. "What are you watching?" Alyssa asked curiously. Didn't she already see this scene when she walked in? Was the tape stuck on repeat?

"What do you see?" Holmes asked instead.

"A murder-suicide," was Alyssa's prompt answer as she watched the small girl succeed in killing her parents, before turning the gun on herself. "Who is she?" Alyssa cringed as the scene replayed, letting her see all the events from the night that lead up to the bloody killings.

"A suspect."

"Olivia."

Alyssa blinked as she received two different answers. Why had B answered with a real name? "When was this?" Alyssa asked before popping some more strawberries in her mouth.

"Last Thursday."

"Why are you watching it?"

"Holmes thinks the police overlooked something," B scoffed.

"And what do you think?" Alyssa couldn't help but challenge him.

"They're all dead," BB shrugged. "Nothing will bring them back. Records show that the father was involved in some black-market dealing and her mother was neglectful. It was probably their fault that she snapped."

"What if someone put her up to it?" Alyssa asked. She didn't even notice that Holmes had stopped watching the program. His dark grey eyes were now flickering back and forth between Alyssa and B, with his thumb resting against his bottom lip.

"You can't just convince someone to murder another," B tried to explain. "Even if someone told her to do it, she had to have the killing intent in her mind to go through with it."

"And then she just decided to commit suicide afterwards?"

"All humans have the capability to commit suicide. Maybe she couldn't live with the thought of what she did afterwards, or she knew there would be consequences for her actions. Pressure can do remarkable things to the human mind."

Alyssa gave B her deadliest glare, unsure how to argue with that. Research did show that the mental thought for suicide was capable of forming in everyone's mind. For a small girl who just murdered her two parents, it wasn't unbelievable to think she could commit a murder-suicide. With a huff, Alyssa folded her arms childishly across her chest and admitted defeat.

"That doesn't mean that is what happened here," Alyssa mumbled darkly.

Alyssa chose to glare at B, who just smiled back creepily at her, for a few seconds. Holmes' eyes were still dancing back and forth between the two, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips. He looked like he had just watched his favorite program.

"Great minds often _don't_ think alike," Holmes concluded with a nod.

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _September 3rd, 1990_

"This much death can't be healthy for the mind," A grumbled to herself. She had somehow been convinced to spend every morning ,and afternoon, with the two boys since that fateful breakfast, but all they did was watch strange tapes and discuss cases. A loved detective work too, but even she had a few hobbies to keep her busy.

"Death is part of life," B muttered back.

"Can't you boys watch a comedy, or read a book?" B looked up and A knew there was a remark on the tip of his tongue so she quickly added, "One, that isn't a case file or related to a case."

"Well, what do you have in mind?" This morning the two proteges of Wammy's House were alone. Wammy had come in earlier, given them their customary tray of breakfast and sweet foods, and then Holmes and Wammy had left the room together without exchanging a word. Alyssa had convinced herself to just accept the oddness that was Holmes and B, so she didn't even question the change in ritual.

Like a magician Alyssa produced several small wooden blocks from under her baggy shirt. She dropped the pieces, ignoring the loud thunk that each piece produced when it hit the ground, and then pulled out two pocket knives from the pocket of her jeans.

"I want to learn to carve," Alyssa announced.

"That's a stupid idea," said B.

"I like making things with my hands though." Alyssa huffed out. How rude of him. _'It's not like he's doing anything besides stuffing his face and watching people die.'_ "Please, B? Please learn with me?"

"I will watch."

 _'Close enough,'_ Alyssa concluded. _'At least he's not watching those bloody tapes'._

Alyssa stalled a bit as she grasped the knife, and a block of wood. The hobby she was excited to start, now filled her stomach with nerves. She mentally blame the pair of burgundy eyes which were watching her every movement, judging her before she had even begun. Alyssa grimaced as she wondered why she cared what B thought of her.

"Do you know what you're doing, Alyssa?" B questioned.

"Sorta," A shrugged, "and it's Alanna now."

"Why did you just change it?" B curiously crept forward until he was in front of her, in his usual crouching position. His eyes were now on the extra blocks of wood with his thumb against his lips. _'I wonder who started that habit, B or Holmes?'_

"I got bored," Alanna answer as she finally pressed the blade against the block and made her first cut. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she made another swipe, just barely missing the tip of her thumb.

B watched her movements with wide, unblinking eyes for several minutes before choosing to break the silence. "What are you carving?"

"I . . . don't know. _Something_."

"That's a bad idea. You should never start a project without knowing how it's going to end."

"If I know how it's going to end, then what's the point of doing it?"

"To reach the finished goal, of course."

"Oh, of course," Alanna rolled her eyes. "How foolish of me to want something different."

"I'm glad you agree." _'Does he not understand sarcasm?'_ Alanna paused her woodwork, unsure if she should explain sarcasm to him or not.

Without asking, BB reached out and grabbed the spare knife and some wood. His fingers traced the block before setting the blade against it and making quick swipes. He moved effortlessly, as if he had handled a knife before. Alanna paused briefly to consider the idea. It wouldn't be surprising, since some of the children from Wammy's House possessed darker talents. It wasn't her place to pry if he didn't want to share though.

"What are you making?" Alanna asked as B's movements became quicker and harsher.

"I don't know."

"That's hypocritical." Alanna growled. How dare he judge her for something he was going to do also?

"I know what I'm making, but I don't know what it is." B calmly explained. "I'll show you when I'm done."

 **o.0.O.0.o**

B whittled away for hours. Alanna finished her piece, which was suppose to be a sitting cat, but as he unhelpfully pointed out, if her art piece was a cat, it was severely mutilated and abused. Alanna pouted as she examined the lump of wood before deciding that he was right, and she had messed up. Even after she was done though, B continued to craft his own creation.

Night fell, and while B showed no signs of finishing, Alanna was growing tired. He didn't even glance her way when she curled up on the floor, her own green eyes continuing to watch him. B kept his eyes on his project, his knife now making slower, more precise cuts. Wood shavings surrounded him and some pieces were even tangled in his wild hair.

"Can I see what you are making?" Alanna asked sleepily. Ever since the piece of wood started to take a vague shape, B had been careful to keep it hidden by wrapping his larger hand around it and only revealing the section he was working on.

"No," he answered.

She was too sleepy to argue with him and so she asked, "When will Holmes be back?" Alanna had not seen the strange boy all day and she was starting to grow worried. Holmes didn't look like he spent a day of his life outside, he was too pale and unsocial. It was concerning that he was gone so long from his sanctuary.

"I'm not sure. Sometime he disappears for days, other times just a few hours." B shrugged his bony shoulders. "Why do you call him Holmes? You know it's not his real name."

"I don't know his real name."

"It's L."

Alanna, more asleep than awake, snorted from her position on the floor. "Right and Alanna is my real name."

"One of us is lying." _'And we both knew that Alanna is an alias.'_

Alanna sighed, unsure what was going through B's mind now. "You really believe that that boy is L? _The_ L that we are all trying to replace?"

"The same one."

"B," Alanna stretched out her arms until she felt the muscles quivering, and let out a large yawn. "L is a legend. A myth created so all the children here can excuse their destructive behavior to become number one."

"L is a legend," B agreed, "but he is real."

"I don't believe you," Alanna answered around a wide yawn.

"Try challenging him yourself then. We both know Holmes is not a real name, and his name is never mentioned in the ranking, leading to a ninety-three percent chance that he not ranked like the rest of us. If you're truly number one, it shouldn't be so hard to beat him, right?"

Alanna groaned loudly before rolling away so her back faced him. "Why is everything a competition with you?"

"Life is a competition." B paused his carving to assess his progress. "If you want to be remembered, you have to be number one."

 **o.0.O.0.o**

Sometime in the night, B finished his carving, and Alanna fell asleep. Even deeper into the night, they somehow found themselves curled against each other, sharing their body heat. In the future, they would both deny it, but when L and Wammy wandered into the room the next morning, the sight of the two rivals, both sleeping on the floor in front of a fire surrounded by wood shavings, was adorable. A's long curly hair was wrapped and tangled so tightly with B's wild mane that it was nearly impossible to guess where one began and the other ended. Wammy was even smiling when he walked forward and draped a large blanket over both of them.

"I thought they hated each other," L mused quietly.

"Humans are often complicated creatures. They can't be understood with a simple book," Wammy explained.

"She wants to challenge you." Wammy jumped at the voice of B, previously believing him to be asleep. L just tilted his head to the side, either unsurprised that his companion was awake, or hiding his shock. "She doesn't believe you are, who you are."

"Why did you tell her?" L asked quietly, not sounding upset or angry. His emotions for the new revelation was hidden, making it impossible to know how he felt about A knowing the truth.

"She knew you were lying already, Holmes." B sneered out. "Just don't go easy on her because she's a girl."

"You wouldn't dare." This time everyone was startled when A's voice entered the conversation. The girl they all believed to be sleeping, was now glaring at them all with one opened eye.

"Aren't you suppose to be nice to girls?" L's question was now directed at Wammy, his father-figure and mentor. The elder ignored A's glare, which was now directed at him, and nodded to the boy he considered his first son.

"Then I will be nice when we compete," L answered A.

"Because I am a girl?" A was doing a fine job keeping her temper, in check but the deadly whisper that escaped her lips was more terrifying than her yelling.

"Exactly."

"It's ridiculous to treat me differently because of my gender." A growled out as she pushed away from B and freed herself from the blanket. She got to her feet and glared at the two boys, insulted that they would consider being kind to her, or going easier on her because she was a girl. Her gender didn't matter, she was just as good as any of them. "I could be a boy and it wouldn't change my test scores, or my personality. You don't have to treat me differently!

"I'll show you." A vowed as she stomped out of the library, heading towards her own room while ignoring the three gazes that lingered on her retreating figure. "Gender _does not_ matter."

 **o.0.O.0.o**

 _September 27th, 1990_

A, now insisting that everyone called her Alanna, woke up to see a new gift on her bedside table. This one was not a jar of jam like before, but a lump of wood carved with intricate details. Alanna picked it up, bringing it close to her face so she could see all the details. She knew this was the same carving B had been working on several weeks ago. _'He managed to carve this with just a pocket knife?'_

The main piece was a round lump, that vaguely resembled flesh. Eight chains were carved so they came out of the mass and pointed above, which gave it the look of a grotesque chandelier at first. Closer inspection showed a large gaping skull hanging from the bottom of fleshy mass, and inside the skull's mouth, was yet another skull that sneered at the world. Behind the skulls, hanging straight down, were four skeletal legs that were too tiny to support the disgusting creature.

The very sight of the carving sent shivers down her spine, and made A uneasy.

Still, she held the object carefully in her hands and took it with her into the bathroom that was connected to her room. She placed it on the edge of the sink, having the face of the creature facing her despite her anxiety of its appearance. She rummaged around in the bathroom for a bit, searching for the objects she would need. She placed the tools in the bowl of the sink, and then lifted her eyes to glance at her appearance.

Bright moss green eyes stared back at her. She was small for a girl her age, but she had found it useful when she on the streets, thieving to survive. Nobody ever suspected the little girl. She had cream colored skin that spoke of a healthy, active life outside. Her body was thin, still too young to grow the curves that a woman would have. Her hair was thick and wavy, falling in untamed waves around her face and neck. She ran her brush through it, untangling the untamable mass and watching as it grew in length, falling to the middle of her back. She had always been slightly vain of her hair, loving the dark color and texture.

She pursed her pink lips and exchanged her brush for her next weapon. She gathered her hair in one hand and stared deep into her reflection's eyes as she made a choice. She would not let gender define her.

 _Snip. Snip. Snip._

Strand by strand fell to the floor with every cut from the scissors. Her hair was shortened until it was neatly trimmed behind her ears, and didn't fall any further than the base of her skull. Before the eyes of the Shinigami King, A transformed herself until it was impossible to tell what her true gender was.

* * *

Good news! There are five total chapters, spanning the childhood of our lovely A, BB and L. They are all finished and written! They just need to be edited and have my beta pre-read them. After the four chapters, we return back to the _Kira Case._

If the name changes for A (we have dubbed her Allie, despite it not being her real name) get confusing, please let me know. I'll start to list them at the top or something. If you are confused about something, let me know. I know that my readers do not live in my head, so some details may not be explained as well as I like. Let me know for future reference, so I can fix it.

Got questions? Feel free to ask them. I will try and answer all the questions left behind without spoiling future plot leave behind a review for me! I have to hear it all, the good, the bad, and the disgruntled.


End file.
